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Southern Red Eye Gravy

Add water or black coffee to fried ham drippings in a HOT pan. Let it sizzle and stir. Serve with country ham, biscuits, and honey.

The traditional accompaniment to country ham.  Part of a well-balanced southern breakfast.

I see Pat did her thing....Thanks, Pat!

I have heard of Red Eye gravy but have never tasted it.  And isn't the ham to be  fresh ham....not smoked?

Yes fresh ham, not smoked but It can be made with smoked ham too.

Red Eye Gravy is great for biscuits and gravy. When I was with my grandmother she made this every morning . We had Grits, ham, eggs, biscuits and red eye gravy just about every day. Not the grits every day there was also corn meal mush, or thick sticky oatmeal.

My husband was from Alabama and his brother, except for breakfast, had to have some kind of beans.  And yes, lots of grits and cornbread, too!

I've never had grits, or cornmeal mush... grits dosen't sound too bad... BUT... cornmeal mush???  I don't think so...LOL

Cornmeal mush is delicious, Judy.  

As we Brits say, Gordon Bennett    Are you sure these recipes are safe to use

Anthony ~ I thought all Brits had a cast iron stomach. I know some of the stuff I eat now that I am older would curl paint! I guess maybe I have a cast iron stomach because of my so mixed heritage! English, Scotch - Irish and American Indian! It's no wonder I am so mixed up!

Haha.. I'm just now reading your post Jeanne.... I'll take your word for it!...LOL

As a real authority on genuine Southern foods I can tell you that red eye gravy, real red eye gravy, IS made as Marilyn said, but it must be real country ham, ham that has been smoked, ham that has been cured by a real farmer or at least genuine country ham.

Nothing is better than country ham, hot biscuits with red eye gravy, eggs cooked over light and this finished off with hot biscuits, real butter, and home made strawberry preservers.



--- Papa John              <)))><<

 

Papa John ~ I'll bet you are an authority on Southern cooking. I love good ole down home cookin'. 'I' of course love the south so how could I not love the cooking! It must be getting time for a trip south of the Mason Dixon again! Papa John has made me hungry!

Jerry, I am sure you would enjoy the good southern breakfast I was talking about.  I did leave out grits which shuld also be added.  Grits with red eye gravy  and/or butter would make it perfect.

When you come down this we way we will have to get together around a table of good southrn food.

- - - Papa John

Papa John ~ There is nothing I would enjoy more than to sit down to a super southern breakfast and share the time with you and Cornelia. I will see if I can't start saving towards that this check!  

I remember the first time I ate breakfast out in Alabama.

"What would you like?"

"I'll have Sausage and 2 eggs"

"Links or patties"

"Patties"

"How do ya want yur aigs?"

"Over medium...just so the whites are done."

"Grits or fried taters?"

"Grits."

"What toast, wheet toast or bissuts?"

"Biscuits."

"Do ya want any juice wit dat?"

"Yes."

"Orang or mater juice?"

"Orange juice.  Oh, yes. Coffee, too."

"Reglar or decaf?"

"Regular."

"Cream?"

"No."

"Thank you, I'll be rat back with yur coffee."

All that for sausage and two eggs!  

Papa John, does Cornelia fix Sweet Potato Pie?  Poke salad?

Etta Sue,

She doesn't make sweet potato pie but we do usually have poke salat at least once in the springtime.

- - - Papa John

I haven't had Pok Salat since I was a kid, can't even remember how to fix it. Papa John would ask Cornelia to give us the recipe.

Marilyn,

Poke is only available in the spring of the year.  You need only the tender young leaves.  When it gets big it isn't good.  When I married Cornelia she had never eaten it.  I taught her how to fix it.

First you must parboil it.  Boil it and pour off the water and then boil it again and pour off the water.  If it isn't parboiled (sp) they say it is poison or at least can make sick.  I have never hear of anyone getting sick from it.  I found some years ago growing in France and the man  whose property we were on said, "Oh, that is poison."  Well there was just one little plant and I didn't argue with him.

Then you can fix it much like you would spinach.  I like it cooked maybe with a little bacon grease.  Some people like it kind of mixed in with scrambled eggs.  I prefer it plain.  You can mix it with other greens.

I developed a taste for it when I was just a boy and have been fortunate enough to get a little almost every year.  Many people do not like it but I do.  It is good with hoe cake or corn bread patties.

- - -  Papa John

Papa John ~ I don't believe I have ever eaten Poke Salad.  Seems it might be a little like wilted lettuce.  My mother could make the best wilted lettuce.  I really liked it.  But you need leaf lettuce for it or at least, that is what Mom used...

And yes, I heard about the either poison or making you sick, if the poke salad wasn't boiled.
 
Isn't that the same with parts of rhubarb?

Actually Etta Sue I don't think poke would be anything like wilted lettuce.  It looks exactly like spinach cooked or like turnip greens.  It grows wild often around fence rows.  It is GOOD.

Papa John

Papa John ~ Ship me a bag of poke. I love all greens including dandelions. I just never go out and pick them. My grandmother was a whiz at greens and wilting them. I wish she had shown me how she did it.

Jerry,

Unfortunately there isn't any poke available because it only comes up in the spring.  The big poke stalks which one might find today are no good at all.  Sorry.

- - - Papa John

We've never heard of poke, or poke salad up here.  Is poke like spinach, Papa John?  Do you put anything in it, like you would do a chef or garden salad?

I don't experiment much with salads., I'm afraid that a garden salad, or caesar salad is about the best I can do, in the salad department.

Judy,

Poke is not used like a salad.  It is boiled and then drained and then cooked like you would spinach.  It is a green, like spinach or turnip greens.  It is NEVER eaten raw.

It grows in the spring around fence rows or just among weeds.  We like it with corn bread patties.  Of course before you can eat it you have to find it and you have to be able to identify it.

Papa John